Alumni News

List of 3 news stories.

• Current Middle Schoolers Discover 'Time Capsule' of Notes Written in 2017

  5/8/2026
  It seems that in October 2017, teacher Carolena Saunders had her then 5th grade English students write notes to future Tandemites. They were then placed in a plastic pencil box and secured to the underside of the newly constructed deck outside of the Middle School Building. This week, in May 2026, some 5th/6th grade students spotted this "foreign object" and worked diligently to find out what it was. Once opened, teacher and class discovered the notes, some starting to disintegrate a bit. They quickly brought them to the Main Building, where Todd Love carefully scanned the historic messages shared from Carolena and these members of the TFS Class of 2025: Grace, Emma, Z, Archie, Alex, Murray, Riley, Desiree, William, Orro, Natalie, Maggie, Cullen, Chloe, Eli, and Linwood. The notes are very positive and optimistic!
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  Tandem Alum Lily Bechtel '04 (Night Teacher) Shares New Album and Local Shows

  12/13/2025
  Tandem alum Lilly Bechtel '04 is a musician (Night Teacher) and poet who released her latest record, 'Year of the Snake.' on Halloween. Lilly says that it's "a body of work that represents a lot of growth and change for me over the past several years, and I am proud to finally see it unfurl out into the world." Making the album, Lilly has shared, "represents an honoring of what is primal, and by that I mean what is primary: the work of surviving in this world. That work, for me, has been inseparable from the practice of art; of trying to listen to and respect the wisdom of my own body - the place where messages of threat arise - but also the wisdom of healing." Lilly also shares in her posts what it means to be an artist: "I am an artist making work in this troubled world because the practice soothes and sustains me. And the further I forge ahead into this life, the more I recognize the need we all share for those kinds of practices that bring us closer to our own delight. So that is what I leave you with as we move towards the Holidaze and the end of another year; may we all remember and cultivate that quiet, mysterious space for ourselves- wherever we find it and whatever it is."
  
  You can catch Lilly performing locally on Friday Dec 19th, when Night Teacher will play an acoustic duo show with Jordan Perry at  Potter's Craft Cider from 6-9 pm in Charlottesville, with fellow alum (and brother) Adam Bechtel '02 kicking off the evening with a solo set. The event is free and open to the public. On March 7th at The Southern, Night Teacher will play a record release show as a full band, with the support of local legend Diane Cluck. - save the date for that one. As for Year of the Snake, you can listen to it on Spotify, iTunes, buy it on Bandcamp, watch videos on YouTube, or buy the here. You can join  the Night Teacher mailing list here to stay tuned to upcoming releases and events.
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  Alumni vs Varsity Basketball Game Brings Badger Fun to Gym

  12/4/2025
  The gym was full of young and old Badger energy on November 25 as alumni former basketball players gathered to take on our varsity boys team. With Gordon Fields as their coach, and alum Gabe Perkinson '06 on the bench to add advice and encouragement, the alums met at 6pm to warm up and take on a younger  team that has been practicing and conditioning together all year. Alum players ranged in graduation year from '05 to '25, and included Alden Scott '24, Ford Scott '21, Matt Meriwether '05, JD Verniero '07, Peter Cathcart '13, Jacob Camarata '24, Jordan Anderson '23, Latrell Winkey '18, Amir Gregory '25, Matt Mahoney '11 and Scottie Chambers '15. The gym was filled with current and past students and parents, and current and past faculty. There were alumni children and the Student Senate sold snacks. The varsity, coached by Sam Dale, got off to a lead in the first quarter, but the score was almost tied at the half. There were referees on hand for the game, but there's always a little good-natured rule-bending fun in this friendly competition. The second half found the alums slowing down a bit and the deep varsity bench picking up points to win 74-62, the first varsity win in several years. As Gordon says, "We connected the old with the new - that's the goal. We're all Tandem so we all won!"